Midwest gets a jump on high-speed rail

Illinois is already
investing to make way for a high-speed rail system expected to spread across
the Midwest and hasten commutes between its major cities, The Christian Science
Monitor reports. The projects are in preparation for the $2.6 billion President
Obama promised the Midwest in January to modernize its transportation network
with high-speed rail. That money is part of a larger $11-billion high-speed
rail package made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

State lawmakers in the
Midwest have jobs on their mind.

Last week Gov. Pat Quinn
announced $133 million in federal stimulus funds to build a railroad
"flyover" in Englewood, one of Chicago's poorest neighborhoods. It will
untangle the existing Metra, Amtrak, and freight tracks there so they can
connect with a future high-speed rail line.

Federal officials said the
project is expected to create 1,446 jobs.

Governor Quinn is making
high-speed rail projects a component of plans to get the state -- which has a
$13-billion deficit -- back into financially sound shape. Illinois is set to
receive $1.2 billion in stimulus money for building the Chicago-St. Louis
corridor, which Quinn says will create 6,000 Illinois jobs.

Another project getting
under way to prepare for high-speed rail in Illinois is the renovation of
Chicago's Union Station, the 85-year-old historic facility located in the heart
of downtown. Last month Amtrak petitioned several architectural and real estate
firms in Chicago and on the East Coast for ideas on how to redevelop the
building, which serves both Metra and Amtrak rail lines. It expects to announce
a winner by the end of May.

The announcement was seen
as a way for Amtrak to prepare for how to deal with serving as a hub for
high-speed rail across the Midwest. While it's uncertain how the station will
fit into plans, the facility needs an upgrade, especially because it is known
for being overcrowded during rush hour.

"Union Station is the
gateway to the city of Chicago," says Kevin Brubaker, deputy director of
the Environmental Law & Policy Center, which has been promoting high-speed
rail for several years. "This is the time for us to carefully study its
pros and cons."

Brubaker says that whatever
facility is used as the central hub to the Midwest's high-speed rail system, it
will probably serve five million people a day.

"This is the time for
us to open up the process to get these ideas on the table for where and how the
station that is going to have five million people in and out of it, can do it
most effectively and do it right," he says.

The high-speed rail lines
promised for the Midwest include five corridors: Chicago to St. Louis, Chicago
to Milwaukee, Milwaukee to Madison, Chicago to Pontiac, Mich., and Cincinnati
to Cleveland.

Because high-speed rail is
considered more efficient and involves minimal pollution, environmental groups
hope the initial start-up investment leads to continued investment by the
federal government and everyone else, so that progress on high-speed rail
doesn't stall.

"This is the first
time since Abraham Lincoln was president that we have presidential leadership
on passenger rail development," said Howard Learner, executive director of
the Chicago-based Environmental Law & Policy Center.